Beggs victim in legal review call

Beggs is appealing his life sentence for murder

A man who was attacked by convicted murderer William Beggs has called for reforms to the justice system in a bid to stop the limbs-in the-loch killer from being released.

Beggs is currently appealing a life sentence handed down for the murder of Kilmarnock teenager Barry Wallace in December 1999 and the subsequent dismemberment of his body.

He had previously been sentenced to six years for slashing Brian McQuillan at a house in Kilmarnock in 1991. But he was released for good behaviour after serving only three years.

Mr McQuillan, 38, said in a letter to The Herald newspaper on Thursday that Beggs' victims would be unable to come to terms with his crimes while legal avenues remained open, which could possibly lead to his release.

Brian McQuillan: Questions remain about case

Mr McQuillan said in his letter that "many difficult unanswered questions" still remained as to why Beggs was "given freedom to kill innocent people like Barry Wallace".

His letter came after the full extent of Beggs' criminal past was revealed following his conviction at the High Court in Edinburgh last Friday.

Beggs, who is originally from Moira in Northern Ireland, was sentenced to life at Teeside Crown Court in 1987 for the murder of 28-year-old student Barry Oldham.

In chilling similarities to the murder of Barry Wallace, Beggs attempted to dismember Mr Oldham's body, before dumping it on the North Yorkshire Moors.

But his conviction was quashed on appeal in 1989 after judges in an English court criticised evidence led by the prosecution.

Shortly after being released, Beggs moved to Scotland where he was convicted of slashing Brian McQuillan in 1991.

Legal review call

It was his subsequent release for good behaviour in 1994 and eventual conviction for Barry Wallace's murder that prompted Mr McQuillan's call for legal reform.

In his letter to the newspaper, Mr McQuillan said: "Unless there are immediate changes to the law which prevent convictions being overturned by appeal court judges, we are left with the very realistic scenario that William Fredrick Ian Beggs will be set free once again."

Mr McQuillan said that after being attacked he submitted Beggs' name to police forces across the UK investigating other unsolved murders.

Phil Gallie wants a public inquiry

"If some of the newspapers are to be believed then it appears police did approach Beggs on a number of occasions over the last five years in connection with various murder inquiries," he said.

"But because he refused to cooperate, he was simply forgotten."

Mr McQuillan said he has written to Scottish Conservative MSP Phil Gallie supporting his calls for "a public inquiry into police and justice system handling" of the Barry Wallace case.

He also said that he supported calls for Beggs to face a retrial for the murder of Barry Oldham in 1987 - a legal tactic that was employed with convicted killer Michael Stone.

"Any hopes of coming to terms with and moving on from the crime committed against us is hampered by a cruel injustice handed down from courts to victims, in their reductions of sentencing or, in Beggs' case, completely overturning the conviction," he said.